Armored Skin
by yanallamma
Summary: Ruzanna swore she'd never return to Shield, not after what they made her become. Only a child when Shield took her away, after mysteriously surviving the collapse of a building, Ruzanna finds herself back to help the Avengers. This time as a scientist determined to keep her past silent. But the rise of Ultron will force her to face who she was and who she will become.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

Author's note: So I loved Age of Ultron and I'm excited to be writing this story! Any comments/constructive thoughts are appreciated, let me know what you think! I do not own Marvel/Avengers/etc. just my own original character Ruzanna and her parents.

* * *

Year: 1998

The cab was silent except for the cantankerous rumble emanating from the engine. For the past week the old farm truck had been nothing but trouble. Breaking down every few days, something new always needing to be replaced or patched up… What would have been a couple days journey was stretched into nearly a week on the road.

Nestled between her parents, Ruzanna picked the peeling vinyl off the seats, flicking them in the air with an empty sigh. For days she had seen nothing but wide rolling hills not filled with so much as a flower. No birds flying past, no shrubs or trees breaking the endless grasslands. Not even a hint of a shadow from the clear skies overhead.

It was a bleak and barren compared to the forests of Romania.

The front wheel dipped into a pothole, jerking everyone forward. Ruzanna felt herself lift off the seat completely and collided with the roof. She nursed her new bump with a pout and a chuckle escaped her father. He snuck a glance but was silenced with a vicious glare. Well as vicious a glare a seven year old could give.

"Are we almost there?" Ruzanna whined as the throbbing faded away.

"We're almost there," Her mother cooed from her left, "Right Garik…" She added with a pointed look at her husband.

"Hmm?" His eyes darted from his wife to his daughter and back to the road, "Oh, yes – yes of course my sweet. Just a few minutes more."

"Just watch, it'll be just like Romania," Her mother added. Ruzanna gave a look of doubt.

"I just don't understand why we had to leave."

"It's complicated my sweet."

Ruzanna shrank back into her seat. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would swallow her whole and that she'd wake up in Romania. A warm hand clasped tightly around hers giving it a gentle squeeze. She peeked through one eye, nearly missing the apologetic look her mother shared with her father.

…

"Ruzy wake up," A voice echoed far away. "Livia would you mind grabbing that bag… Ruzanna we're here in Sokovia."

Eyelashes ripped apart to greet a bright and shining sun. Ruzanna groaned, rubbing the crust from her eyes. She hopped out of the truck and eyed the dirt around her. Not a surprise considering the view during their journey.

In the distance she heard a bustling market alive with haggling and trading. A chicken scuttled by her feet, clucking away. Ruzanna scuffed her shoes against the dirt and her parents worked to unload what few possessions they had left.

"Ruzanna, let's go inside," Her father called. She looked up, letting out a small gasp, taking note of the tall building before her.

The setting sun reflected a melting orange burn off the sandstone building. Shuttered windows were scattered in pairs and adorned with flower boxes in full bloom. Thick cable vines stretched up nearly the entire height of the building and Ruzanna gaped up at it, eyes flitting to each webbing branch. The building appeared aged and rundown with its numerous cracks like spider veins.

A group of children playing nearby stopped to stare at Ruzanna as she admired her new home. One of the girls made eye contact and offered Ruzanna a gentle wave. She replied with a smile before scampering off into the building, hot on her parent's heels.

Upstairs in apartment 6B was a small living area linked to an aging kitchen. Off to the side stood two doors, each leading a bedroom. Ruzanna peered inside to see an iron-wrought bed with a nightstand and chest of drawers. She walked over to place her bag on the bed and turned upon hearing her parents walk in.

"How do you like it?" Her father asked.

"It's not Romania, but it's…cozy," She replied, trying to find the best word to describe it. Maybe this place wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"And look, this is the bathroom. It's linked to mine and papa's room," Her mother motioned to the spare door. Livia knelt down so she was eye-to-eye with Ruzanna and patted her hands, "That way we are always connected, if you ever need us."

Ruzanna nodded relaxed knowing her parents were only a few steps away. A knock echoed off the front door and Ruzana felt her mother's grip tighten.

"Don't worry, Livia, I'll get it," Garik whispered, leaving a kiss on her forehead. Soon it was only Ruzanna and her mother in the room. She smiled at her mother, oblivious to the burning fear her mother tried to swallow.

"Hello and welcome! You just moved in, yes?" A deep voice boomed from the doorway. Ruzanna escaped her mother's grip to peer around corner. In front of Garik stood a couple and their two children. "I am Django Maximoff, this is my wife, Marya, and our children Pietro and Wanda."

"Here, I brought a housewarming gift," Marya held out a dish of food. Garik took the steaming food gratefully.

"Thank you, you are so kind."

"It is no worries," She replied with a wave of her hand and her smile grew larger as she cought sight of Ruzanna trying to hide. "Oh, is that your daughter? Hello sweetie!" Marya waved.

Ruzanna shrank back from view but was nudged forward by her mother who appeared behind her, "Come, let us not be rude."

Her father gave a nod of approval, giving her the courage to step closer, "Yes this is my daughter Ruzanna, my wife Livia… And I am Garik. Garik Kazarian" He added.

"A lovely family," Marya smiled, "And you must come for dinner tomorrow!"

"No, we shouldn't-" Livia's cheeks flushed red but Django cut in.

"It is no trouble, besides it'd be good for Pietro and Wanda to get to know Ruzanna, right children?"

They chimed in agreement and Ruzanna recognized Wanda as the girl who waved to her earlier. Both her and Pietro stood a few inches taller but they appeared around the same age. She smiled at the two but Pietro had a funny looked fixed on his face.

"Why are you so dark?" He blurted, staring at Ruzanna.

"Why are you a turd head!" Ruzanna snapped at the boy, glancing down at her bronzed arms. "It's not a bad thing…" She muttered and Pietro looked taken aback by her outburst. This look of surprise soon turned to pain.

"Pietro!" Django smacked his son up the head, earning a howl of protest.

"I'm so sorry, Pietro never thinks before he speaks," Marya gushed and glared pointedly at her son. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sorry…" He mumbled with a stare fixed to the ground. Ruzanna felt her anger continue to boil just waiting for him to dare look up.

"It's not every day we get an Armenian family here is Sokovia – Not that it's a bad thing," Django rushed to say after Garik narrowed his eyes

"No I understand, children can be a handful," Garik said. He placed a hand of warning on Ruzanna's shoulder and she obediently took a step away from Pietro.

"Well we should be going," Marya ushered her family away from the door, "But please, tomorrow night, dinner? I'll send Wanda down to let you know when it's ready!" Marya continued to say as they walked down the hall. She threw a final smile over her shoulder before climbing up the stairs.

In the apartment, Garik and Livia let out a bout of nervous laughter, but Ruzanna remained frowning at the spot where they had been standing.

* * *

The front door rattled from violent knocking and Ruzanna sprang up from her seat on the couch, knowing full well who it was. She opened the door to find a smiling Wanda with Pietro a few steps behind her trying to look annoyed.

"Bye Mama," Ruzanna called, "Wanda and Pietro are here!"

"And where are you going?" Her mother's head appeared from the kitchen as her daughter tried to rush out the room.

"Just to the field behind the building Mama." And with a nod of approval the three raced out the building.

They were sprawled on the field of wildflowers and watched as the clouds floated by. Laughter filled the air as they pointed out various sights of animals and people in the clouds.

"You guys would love Romania," Ruzanna sighed.

Wanda propped herself up on her elbows to face her, "Tell us about it again!"

Before she could respond, Pietro cut her off, "Please, Wanda, you've asked her about a hundred thousand times already."

"Just because you think it's lame doesn't mean I do!" Wanda scowled as her brother donned a mischievous smirk.

"Just ignore him, he's obviously got loose marbles in that big head of his," Ruzanna's taunt wiped the smirk of Pietro's face. He pouted as Wanda erupted into a fit of laughter.

Silence returned but Ruzanna bolted upright and looked at the twins with daring smile, "You guys want to see something cool?" They nodded in unison. "Okay, but we gotta be quiet or else my dad is going to have a fit."

Ruzanna led them up to her apartment and put a slim finger to her lips. They followed with wide eyes into the living room. Soft humming drifted from the kitchen as Livia cooked dinner. All three froze when Pietro's stomach let out a loud groan.

The delicious smells of the hearty stew cooking on the stove were wafting though the air and reminded him that he forgot about lunch. Ruzanna narrowed her eyes, motioning for continued silence. Pietro rolled his eyes.

The door to her parent's room creaked open and they paused, listening for any sounds that her mother heard. "Come on," Ruzanna whispered. She pulled out an old suitcase from under the bed.

Dusting puffed up around them when she propped up the lid. Clear, glistening crystals filled the suitcase. The twins leaned forward, jaws dropped, entranced by the rainbow of colors the reflecting light made.

"What are these?" Wanda reached out to grab one but was smacked away by Ruzanna.

"Don't touch them!" She warned in a low voice, "My father says these are dangerous."

"But then why does he have them?" Pietro questioned, unable to tear his gaze away from them.

"Ruzanna!"

They nearly jumped out of their skin as the bellowing voice echoed around the small room. Slowly, Ruzanna turned to meet the livid face of her father. Her mother rushed behind him and gasped at the sight of the crystals.

"What have I told you about messing with these?" He roared, rushing forward to shut the case. Ruzanna yelped as he yanked her up by her arm.

"I'm sorry…" She tried to say but it came out as garbled nonsense.

"Sir it's not her fault!" Pietro pleaded and stood to face Garik. He gulped when all attention focused on him, "I asked to see them."

Pietro flinched back when Garik took a step forward. "You and your sister need to leave." He said with an icy tone.

"Pietro let's go…" Wanda loudly whispered, tugging at his sleeve. He flashed Ruzanna a wary glance before sprint out the apartment.

"Now I don't know why that boy tried taking the blame for your lack of better judgment," Garik said, frowning as she shied away from him, "but the next time I find you here will result in severe punishment."

Ruzanna nodded rapidly and her father's stern gaze softened at the sight of welling tears. He gathered her in a hug and muttered that he only wanted her safe. She was determined to keep her promise to never look at the crystals again.

But there would be no next time, because that night a shell was launched into the building.

A loud shriek woke scared Ruzanna awake. She jumped out of her covers when a sound louder than death rumbled and the building shook. The force knocked her to the floor and she cried out chunks of the ceiling fell away.

The violent shaking stopped and the cries of confusion and fear began. Realization dawned that a shell had hit the building and Ruzanna rushed into the living room. A gaping hole filled the room.

"Mama!" She cried, "Papa?"

"My sweet…" Ruzanna heard her mother's faint voice. She scanned the wreckage and gasped at the sight of her parents pinned under the rubble.

"Mama!" Ruzanna cried again. Panic washed over her when she couldn't find a way around the hole.

"No my sweet," Her mother urged, coughing the dirt out her lungs, "Go to my room, hide under the bed!"

"Where's Papa?"

"Go hide my sweet!" Her mother ordered.

Ruzanna turned away with a whimper and willed her heavy legs to move faster. Her parent's room was a mess. The dresser was toppled over and spilling clothes across the floor. Her mother's perfumes were crashed, creating a sickly sweet smell of flowers and dirt.

That's when the second shell hit, crashing into the floor above. This time, the shaking was not as intense but a portion of the ceiling crashed down onto the bed. Ruzanna dropped into a fetal position in the corner and looked up when the dust had settled.

"Oh no," She cried. Shards of the crystals littered the floor. Ruzanna dropped to her knees trying to gather them up to put away. She coughed and dust appeared to rise up, clouding the room.

She looked up and a large crack formed overhead. Ruzanna watched with wide eyes as the ceiling caved completely and the world went black.

...

"Agent Coulson, sir I've found something!" An agent called to his superior.

Shield agents were swarming the remaining rubble of the building in Sokovia. They believed this attack more than just war activity and it was up to them to figure out why. Agent Coulson walked over a fallen beam to the agents struggling to move a large chunk of rock.

"Oh my god," He gaped. Staring at the small figure that had been trapped under the heavy object for the last few days. Dark curly hair was matted and tangled in knots. Her face was had a childlike roundness that came to rest at a pointed chin, but what stopped Coulson in his tracks was her skin. It was silver and it gleamed as if made of metal. She began to stir and the coating faded away to reveal normal skin.

Ruzanna heard voices. Everything ached. Her back, her arms, her head felt like it would explode. She blinked her eyes open to see two people standing over her. One of them knelt closer and tried to give a kind smile. The other stood tall and glared down with one eye hidden by an eye patch.

"I'm Agent Coulson," the man who smiled said, "what's your name?"

She barely made out his English but understood the word name, "Ruzanna." She said, pointing to herself.

Ruzanna watched as the men turned to talk with each other. "Commander Fury, why do you think she survived that?" Agent Coulson side glanced at her struggles to sit upright, "Think it has something to do with that coating?"

"I don't know," he said, eyes trained on the child, "we'll just have to find out."


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome Back

Years later…

 _Concentrate._

Ruzanna sat hunched over a table in a graduate library room at Columbia University. Pages of journal articles and experimental designs were scattered across a large table. Bleary eyes rapidly darted from word to word, soaking in all the data. Dark, curly hair that was normally wrapped in a tidy bun was falling apart and frizzed in placed where she scratched her head in concentration.

 _Concentrate. Focus on what the results mean._

It was only a week or two before she had to present her findings to the PhD review board. She was only a skip away from a breakthrough in spontaneous cellular regeneration and repair. It would revolutionize illness recovery by identifying specific gene markers to amplify regrowth exponentially.

"There's just too many markers, too much variation to take into account…" Ruzanna gulped down the remains of her coffee. She turned it upside down and frowned at the last bit of drops left.

"Maybe there's a unifying pattern of marker types…" She muttered on her way to the coffee machine at the back of the library.

The clock on the coffee press blinked 3:02am and the study room was empty except for her. It was unusual occurrence despite the early hours, considering final exams were in a week and research reviews were due. The glasses resting on her nose were pressing on the bridge and she took them off to rub her eyes awake.

Ruzanna smiled and wrapped her hands around the fresh cup, bringing it up to her lips. The rich scent of coffee filled her senses and reenergized her resolve to find the missing link.

The warm liquid burned down her throat, followed by an unusual shiver down her spine. Ruzanna paused, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

She twirled, throwing her leg up at full height. The intruder yelped as their body slammed into a nearby bookcase. Books fell out and landed with heavy thuds on the old oak floors. A metal coating materialized up Ruzanna's arm as she slammed her hand into a wall.

Silver energy field burst out to pin the intruder firmly against the wall, "Who are yo-" Ruzanna was cut off by the red headed smirk staring her in the face.

"Nice to see you're still on your toes, kid," Ruzanna release the field and the smirking red head leaned on her knees to catch her breath.

"What do you want Natasha," She bent down to retrieve her fallen cup, muttering her about her spilled coffee.

"What, no hello?" Natasha pouted and was met with crossed arms and narrowed eyes.

"Yeah well you showing up doesn't exactly mean warm and fuzzy times ahead," Ruzanna shot back.

"That hurts kid," Natasha lamented and stepped closer. Ruzanna inched back in response, feeling the edge of the table behind her. "Thought we were friends."

"Partners," Ruzanna corrected and kept her eyes glued to the floor. Natasha stopped her movements. "It was just a mission. So I ask again, what do you want?"

Natasha cocked an eyebrow. She sighed into a seat in a nearby chair with the other tapping her foot, "I'm here to find out why an exceptional Shield agent is hiding away in a college library."

" _Former_ agent. And I'm trying to improve cellular function for medical use," Ruzanna replied not catching Natasha shake her head, "It'll greatly improve vaccinations and antiserums…"

"I know that, I've read your PhD proposal to study molecular development and biotechnology," She smirked once more and Ruzanna finally looked up.

"How-"

"I was there at your research symposium."

Ruzanna dropped her arms and corners of her lips twitched up so lightly that Natasha almost missed it. "But, why?"

"Like I said earlier," Natasha shrugged, "Thought we were friends… And Shield tasked me with keeping tabs on you."

An empty laugh echoed around the empty room. Ruzanna pressed her lips in a firm line and pointed a finger knowingly, "And there it is, Romanoff. I knew it, there's always an ulterior motive."

Natasha turned her head away unable to meet the accusing glare. "In order to keep you safe from criminal interest." She explained, shaking the jolt traveling down her spine, "Gifted. Intelligent. An IQ of nearly 186-"

"Stop with the flattery," Ruzanna deadpanned.

"-and one of the best agents Shield had."

Ruzanna clenched her hands into metal fists, blood boiling, "I was a child soldier." She whispered. Natasha eyed her shaking hands and took a step back.

"Ruzanna," She warned.

"I was a CHILD!" She roared. The metal continued to grow up her arms was now visible on her legs. Natasha's eyes flew wide open and pulled out her gun. "When they poke and prodded and trained me to harness my skills, saying it was for the good of humanity. What a joke!" She laughed.

"Ruzanna calm down."

"Shield is no friend to me, not as long as Fury is in charge. Kept me in training facilities, experimental trials, endless missions when I should have been living a life!" She ranted without any care to the gun barrel staring her in the face. Her voice rose higher with every word. "I'm only 24 and the only _friend_ I apparently have is someone who's been assigned to keeps tabs on me."

"Because I have no idea how that feels like…" Natasha felt fatigue start to take hold in her arms.

Everyone heard legends about the Red Room and Ruzanna was kicking herself for forgetting. It was then she noticed the gun and looked down at her armor. She grimaced at the look of pity she was being given.

"I-I'm sorry," She said. "I know you're not to blame…"

Natasha lowered her gun and reached out a hand, only to retract it when Ruzanna looked away. "We need you back Ruzy. Manhattan was only the beginning."

"Yeah I heard about that shit show," Ruzanna murmured, pulling down her glasses on her way back to her table of papers. Stories about the Avengers and their battle against the alien army were on every new channel for weeks, "But my abilities are limited, they aren't useful in a battle setting. Just for reconnaissance missions."

"It's not just your abilities, Shield needs your knowledge." Ruzanna looked up from the article in her hand, brows furrowed as Natasha continued, "They're willing to wait until your PhD is complete. They're prepared to fully fund any project concerning cellular regeneration."

Ruzanna rubbed her chin, "And this was Fury's idea?"

"No. He was highly opposed to it considering how the last time he saw you almost cost him his other eye." Natasha said, "It was Coulson's."

Ruzanna closed her eyes. She knew keeping in contact with Coulson would come back to bite her, but she wouldn't be studying at Columbia if it weren't for him.

"He spoke highly of the discoveries you were making, saying that not taking you on in our biotech advancement team would be a loss," Natasha smiled as Ruzanna turned to hide her flushed cheeks.

"I told that ass to keep his mouth shut," She laughed, "He's definitely going to hear about it later."

Natasha cringed as Ruzanna spoke. It had been months since the battle in New York, but no one had thought to inform her of what Loki had done.

"Sit down."

Ruzanna blanched at the stern order, "Um, okay… Why?" The chair scraped on the wood floor. She sat patiently, waiting for whatever Natasha had to say, but every second she remained silent stretched into a never-ending eternity.

"Coulson…" Natasha swallowed, "Ruzy, Coulson died. Ruzy?"

Silence was all that came from Ruzanna and a wave of heat rushed over her like a tidal wave. Her friend. Her mentor. Gone, and no one told her until now. No more jokes about her study habits. No more stories about the cellist from Oregon. No more shoulder to lean on when things grew overwhelming.

"Ruzy?" Natasha called again and the sound of her voice brought her back to reality.

"Dead." Ruzanna stated in a flat voice. The tears stinging the back of her eyes would not fall. It didn't matter how long she sat there, the tears remained locked in.

"It's alright kid," Natasha patted her knee in an attempt to comfort her, "It was his wish that we'd contact you. He knew how important your research was too you."

Her body felt cold but her hands felt like fire. The pins and needles sensation grew. She couldn't think. She couldn't talk. It took minutes for her to find her voice and Ruzanna was grateful that Natasha sat there in silent comfort.

"I'll do it," Ruzanna answered, "for Coulson."

"Are you sure?" Natasha asked, "Just because Coulson suggested this, doesn't mean you have to."

"No, it does," She replied in a shaky breath, "He got me out… He gave me a chance to live how I wanted, but Coulson was right. I may not like it, but Shield is the only place that can fund my research."

"Well then," Natasha stood and held out her hand. Ruzanna took it and Natasha gave a cunning half smile, "Welcome back Agent Kazarian."

* * *

Author's Note: Alright chapter 2 is up as well, once again I don't own marvel, just my character Ruzanna. Next chapter deals with the Avengers so stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3: On the Sidelines

Author's Note: thanks for all the reviews so far and I forgot to mention that there's obviously spoilers for those who haven't seen Age of Ultron! I don't own Marvel and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

Mechanical wheels zipped and whizzed around the mechanics lab at the Avengers tower. Bruce was up in his glass walled lab area, surrounded by his computers, and he glanced in amusement every so often as Tony fiddle with his creations.

"Jarvis, run the interface for this," Tony motioned to the objects that littered his workbench.

"Right away, sir."

Tony looked up as Ruzanna brisked past to get to her own workbench at the other corner of the room. She walked with her head cemented in place, carrying various microbial samples and focused on her destination.

"Hey, Kardashain, just who I wanted to see," Tony skipped up to her. Ruzanna pressed her eyes closed before turning to face him. By that time Bruce had poked his head out of the door to his lab.

"Mr. Stark," She laced with an overly sweet smile, "Just because I am Armenian does not mean You can refer to me as Kardashian. Something I have reminded you many times…" the last part she muttered darkly.

"Hmm, I guess you have," Tony pretended to ponder that thought for a moment, "Anyways, have you got the new project set up?"

"It's the same answer as five minutes ago. No." Ruzanna huffed and tried to escape his distractions by heading towards her workstation.

Ever since the fall of Shield, Natasha brought her to work at the Avengers tower. At first it seemed like an exceptional prospect: the great Tony Stark funding her research. But every day Ruzanna wished she chose to further her career in a different private sector.

"Please, pretty please," He begged while Ruzanna tried to set up a microscope slide, "I mean, I know you and Dr. Cho are doing your own thing, but that doesn't mean you can't do this on the side."

Ruzanna snapped her head away from her slides. No mercy rested in her eyes. "Come on Tony, just let her work," she heard Bruce plead in the back.

"Mr. Stark," She repeated, "What you've asked me to do cannot be done as a side project. Scientists are barely learning to link thought control and gene expression. To link this same concept with the possible application in technological control… the biological interfacing alone could take decades!"

"Simple science for a brain like yours," He said with a wave of his hands. Ruzanna narrowed her eyes. Tony felt his legs numb but did his best to maintain his confidence smirk.

"You're the supposed genius," She spat, "Why don't you do it!"

"Stop with the flattery, I'm blushing," Tony mocked, ignoring when Bruce tugged his arm.

Ruzanna rolled her eyes and sat back down to inspect her samples, "Like I said earlier, I'll get to it when I'm done researching with Dr. Cho."

"I don't get you, what's your game plan?" Tony questioned, settling down in a seat next to her, "What's your end game?"

"Well-"

"You know there's no file on you from before you join Shield's science team?" Tony cut in before she could answer. He leaned forward, studying her curiously, "Who are you Ruzanna Kazarian?"

Ruzanna gripped the dials of the microscope and her knuckles turned white, something that did not go unnoticed by Tony or Bruce, "A scientist." She said.

"Yeah I know that…" He said unsatisfied by her half-answers.

"Sir, it seems as though the last known Hydra base has been located. The team requests that you and Mr. Banner join the rest of the team downstairs immediately." Jarvis spoke from the intercom.

Ruzanna exhaled and sent a silent prayer as Bruce and Tony gathered their things. As per her agreement with returning to Shield, all her records had been cleaned. No one aside from top-level clearance, including Natasha and Clint, knew of her abilities. This was something Ruzanna wanted to keep secret but it was growing increasingly hard with Tony's overbearing curiosity.

"Looks like you're saved for now kiddo," Tony teased before marching out the door. Bruce sent her a sheepish look of apology and followed him out the lab area.

A few hours later Maria walked in to offer her some lunch.

"I swear," Ruzanna threatened, "I'll quit if I have to deal with one more second of him."

"Who Tony?" Maria laughed, "He's just nosy."

"A little too nosy for my liking." Ruzanna grumbled and tore away at a sandwich.

"Is it really so bad if they knew?" Maria asked, "You don't mind sitting on the sidelines when you could help?"

Ruzanna crossed her arms, "This thing isn't really conducive for what they want to achieve. They're not useful in a battle setting." She echoed the words she had told Natasha before. "No, I'm more useful here."

Maria sent her a skeptical look. "They've got Banner with them, probably the biggest risk ever, and you're saying you'd be inadequate?"

"Exactly, they have Banner," Ruzanna shot back, "Why put in another risk?"

"That's an excuse and you know it." Maria accused, "You and I both know you have full control over your stuff."

"You're right," Ruzanna stood up sharply and smoothed out the wrinkles of her lab coat. Maria flinched back at the sudden movement. "It is an excuse. I just don't want to be on the field." She sniffed.

Her heels clicked on the floor as she strutted out the lab and left Maria to her own thoughts. She sighed at Ruzanna's retreating figure and shook her head. A staccato ring puller her attention away.

"Maria Hill," She answered. Color drained from her face as she listened to the news from the other line, "Right away, I'll have Kazarian contact her immediately." She clicked the phone and ran out the lab, "Ruzanna! Call Dr. Cho, we need her here now!" Maria ordered.

"Why, what's going on?" Ruzanna rounded the corner casually eating an apple.

"Mission was a success but Clint's hurt bad."

Ruzanna nodded. She turned and ran to the call room to phone her research partner, "Dr. Cho?" She asked after a couple rings, "Clint's hurt and I need your help with the tech." She was silent and nodded every so often, "Alright see you soon."

On the landing pad, Ruzanna stood in line with Dr. Cho and Maria waiting for the quinjet to land. The first person out was Natasha pushing out a bedridden Clint. Ruzanna noted how pale and clammy he was. She took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Don't worry Clint, you'll be just fine," She assured as they all wheeled him into Bruce's lab office.

"You guys are acting like I'm dying or something," His laugh turned into a grimace and more blood seeped from his wound.

"Shut up Clint you're making it worse." Natasha snapped. She watched with anxious eyes. The usually stoic Avenger was now biting her lips as Ruzanna and Dr. Cho worked together to set up their machine.

"All clear," Ruzanna said after finalizing the calibrations. Dr. Cho nodded and the machine went to work rebuilding the tissue around the gaping wound.

"You sure he'll be alright?" Natasha asked. "Pretending to need this guy really brings this team together.

"Oh there's no fear of deterioration," Dr. Cho said, checking the screen monitor for his vitals, "The nanomolecular functionality is instantaneous."

"His cells don't know they're binding to microns," Ruzanna added.

"They're creating tissue," Bruce said out loud, looking at Natasha with wide-eyed smile.

"You should see the regeneration cradle at Dr. Cho's lab," Ruzanna gushed, moving closer to Bruce, "It's amazing technology!"

In that moment Tony burst into the room with green smoothies, "Oh no he's flat lining, call it." He deadpanned, causing Ruzanna and everyone else to roll their eyes.

"I'm gonna live forever," Clint protested and slurped up the smoothie Tony handed him, "Doc says I'm made of plastic now."

"You'll be made of you Mr. Barton, trust me," Dr. Cho assured, "Your own girlfriend won't be able to tell the difference."

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"That I can't help you with." She quipped.

"This is the next thing Stark," Ruzanna fixed him a smirk and motioned to the machine her and Dr. Cho had designed, "Your clunky metal suits will be left in the dust."

"Oh that is exactly the plan."

Ruzanna frowned at the unexpected answer. Usually he was fiercely proud of his machines and for him to miss an opportunity to rub it in her face caused her to study him meticulously. Even Bruce turned to Tony suspiciously.

"And Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday. You too Kardashian." He continued and ignored the gaping stares.

"Unlike you I don't have a lifetime to party." She chided, but a second later Dr. Cho snuck a side-glance and blushed, "Will Thor be there?"

"You do know he's with Jane, Doctor," Clint teased from his spot on the table. Dr. Cho scowled muttering about not biting that hand that's healing his wounds, but Ruzanna was only half listening to their banter.

She watched closely as Tony and Bruce left the room to gain look at Loki's scepter. The glass walls blocked any words exchanged, but Ruzanna noted the glint in Tony's eye. The one he always got when a new idea took hold.


	4. Chapter 4: Hammer Time

It was late and the party had ended a long time ago. The whole team was lounging around, smiling about the fact that their long mission was over. The scepter was recovered and the last known Hydra base taken down. Drunken laughter filled the penthouse.

"Woah woah missy," Tony giggled and pointed to Ruzanna as she sipped her own mixed drink, "Who let the baby have a drink?"

Everyone laughed when Ruzanna turned red from all the eyes on her. "For once can I be left in peace," She sighed, now hesitant to finish her drink.

"I'm sorry, I can't allow it kiddo." Tony continued to tease, "Don't want that big brain of yours damaged. After all, you still need to set up that project for me."

This time it was Dr. Cho who spoke up, "Are you trying to take my protégé, Stark?" She eyed him as he stumbled over his words, "Last I knew, she was working with me on the cradle."

"Ruzy's a big girl, she can choose for herself," Natasha flashed a smile to a red-faced Ruzanna.

"Besides, Nat and I knew her first." Clint joined in, but the curious gleam in Tony's eyes made Ruzanna want to throw the archer out the window.

"Since when did field agents associate with the scientists…" Tony half muttered to himself.

Maria, realizing Clint's slip up, rushed in to explain, "Well for certain missions they needed background info and Ruzanna was our best teacher!" Her shallow laugh did little to convince Tony. Even the others leaned forward, curiosity now spiked.

Ruzanna sent a murderous glare at Clint, silently telling him the horrors in store for him. He clenched his jaw in apology and found the curtains very interesting.

"So, Thor, what's with the hammer?" Ruzanna asked, eager to change the topic. Much to her relief, the haze of alcohol quickly turned all attention to the magical hammer resting on the coffee table. "I mean, there's a trick right?"

"I think it has to do with whoever has Thor's fingerprints," Tony joked after everyone attempted to pick up the hammer.

"Quite an interesting theory, but I have a simpler one," Thor chuckled and picked up the hammer with ease, "You all are not worthy."

A collection of boos erupted from the crowd when a piercing ring caused everyone to grab their head in pain. Tony darted his attention to his master remote.

"How can any of you be worthy?" A low metal voice accused. One of Tony's peacekeeper robots stumbled into the light. Electric sparks light up at the frayed wires. "You're all killers."

Tony turned froze and the glass in his hand started to crack. His jaw dropped as if trying to say something, but no words came out and the robot stepped closer.

"Stark." Steve moved forward.

"Jarvis?" Tony called but was only met with silence.

"I'm sorry I was asleep," The robot continued and Tony muttered about bugs in the system while fiddled with the remote, "I was tangled in… string. Had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone!" Steve shared a collective look of worry with the group.

"Wouldn't have been my first call, but down in the real world we're faced with ugly choice," the robot explained.

"Who sent you?" Maria asked.

" _I see a suit of armor around the world…"_

Tony snapped up at the sound of his recorded voice. "Ultron," Bruce breathed.

"In the flesh… well not exactly…" Ultron muttered, eyeing his own gears and wires.

"Tony, what did you do?" Ruzanna muttered entranced by the glowing blue eyes. It clicked. The close conversation she witnessed the other day. The late nights he and Banner were working. It all made sense now.

"I'm on a mission." Ultron continued to ramble and the tension grew among the group. Tony and Steve stood at the front, squaring their shoulders with Ultron. Maria silently clicked off the safety on her gun and Thor's grip tightened on the hammer. Clint's eyes flickered to his bow in the corner and Ruzanna could see the worry in Natasha's eyes as she looked at Bruce, hoping for no code green.

"What mission?" Maria fought to control the quiver rising in her throat.

Even Ruzanna felt the panic rise in her chest. Unable to swallow it, her fingertips tingled and she knew that her secret would longer remain that way.

"Peace in our time."

The wall behind Ultron burst into pieces and more peacekeeper bots flew out in attack. The room exploded in action. Clint flipped up the table to form a barricade. Bullets and energy blasts bounced off the walls as he pulled Dr. Cho to safety at the back of the room.

Ruzanna clenched her teeth and felt the energy rush in as the metal materialized up her arms. Her neck tingled and took a side step, dodging a robot by a hair. Ruzanna lunged to the ground and crunched her fist into the stoned floor. With a strong thrust, her fist sliced through the metal like butter and left a fluid silver energy sprouting from imprint of her fist.

Out the corner of her eye, she saw a damaged robot lumber towards Dr. Cho. She flinched back and tried to hide as much as she could behind a piano. Ruzanna raced to save her and watched as the robot lifted its arm ready to shoot a laser beam when it froze. It turned away but not before Ruzanna punched her fist through its chest. The robot exploded in a silvery light.

"Ruzanna…" Dr. Cho said breathless. She kept looking between her and the destroyed machine with wide eyes.

Ruzanna felt her knees knock together from that last blow. Turned away from Dr. Cho's stare, she watched as Steve threw his shield at the last robot.

"That was dramatic," Ultron sniffed, "I know you all mean well… You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change! How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to – to evolve?" He reached down to a disembodied head of a peacekeeper bot. The metal shrieked as he crushed it and no one noticed as Ruzanna inched up the stairs.

"There's only one path to peace…" Ultron stepped forward. Ruzanna stood crouched on the railing above and her metal fist cracked, eager to meet its target. "The Avenger's extinction."

Ultron heard a heavy thud behind him and turned to see a fist smash into the floor. A silver wall surged up, slicing him apart. Ruzanna wheezed and stood on shaky feet to see everyone staring at her slack jawed.

The force field retreated back into the floor and Ruzanna fell to her knees. The metal coating vanished and her vision spotted. A strong pair of hands gripped her arm. Natasha offered her standing support and was met with a grateful nod.

"Di-did that just happen…Ruzanna just – what?" Tony scratched his head, rapidly blinking, "I think I just hallucinated."

Clint rushed over to slip under Ruzanna's other arm, just as her legs gave out completely, "Easy kid." He tried to comfort her but she hung her head and avoided eye contact with the rest of the team.

Everyone was gathered in the lab upstairs. The heavy weight on Ruzanna's chest made it hard to breathe, but it wasn't due from exhaustion. She winced from all the eyes staring at her.

"So, what exactly was it that you did back there?" Bruce asked, breaking the silence.

Natasha stepped in front of Ruzanna with eyes narrowed, "Is that really the top priority right now? An interrogation?"

Bruce raise his hands in surrender but Steve ignored Natasha's look of warning, "Actually, we should know. Judging from the damage she did, Ruzanna could be a big help. And I have a feeling that we'll need all the help we can get to defeat Ultron."

Natasha crossed her arms and opened her mouth to shoot a scathing remark, but Ruzanna held her back, "It's okay, Nat, it's time to come out with it. It's a miracle it stayed wrapped up this long anyways," she said with a shaky chuckle.

Ruzanna could tell Natasha wasn't happy based on the way her nostrils flared. After a moment, she relented and stepped aside, still staying close to her.

"I was 8 when Shield found me," Ruzanna shuddered at the thought of the collapsing building. Her parents… "They took me and made me an agent. That's how I know Nat and Clint. Long story short, Shield taught me to hone my abilities. After a while, I ran off, went to college and came back when Nat tracked me down."

"That still doesn't explain what you can do." Bruce said.

"Or the fact that your files are sealed." Added Steve.

"Truth is, I haven't a clue why I have these abilities." Ruzanna sighed, "As for the files, the deal was I'd come back to Shield as a scientist only. I requested that my files were sealed so no one would bother me. Only those with the highest security clearance knew about it."

The room was silent as they processed the new information. Now no one would look her in the eye. Ruzanna didn't know which was worse: the stares or the silence.

"How does your…magic.. work exactly," Thor asked.

Ruzanna paused, furrowing her brows to find the right words, "Well, my cells can create a mass amount of energy and it manifests as this metal-like coating." She demonstrated by transforming her right hand and held it up to the group. "It's pretty durable, but the issue is maintaining this energy state."

"And that silver light stuff?" Steve asked.

"Energy transference." Ruzanna answered. "It's like a force field of energy, but I can only release it in a state of high energy. The downside is I need to be in contact with something solid for it to form."

"If it's energy transference, why can't you just release it from you hand into the air?" Bruce pondered.

"The whole point is that the extra energy in my cells are traveling to nearby atoms and molecules. Air molecules are free floating, rapid, and unpredictable. I can't anticipate their movements. Where as something like this table," Ruzanna motioned to her work desk. She pressed her palm down and pulled away solid block of transparent silver energy. "It's solid. Unmoving particles. There's a clear cut path that I can follow and use as a template to pull away from."

With a twirl of her wrist, the energy became fluid and moved in tandem with her hand.

"So your limited to the point of origin," Bruce leaned forward to observe the silver force.

"Exactly."

"Why did you run away?" Dr. Cho asked softly.

Ruzanna felt her thoughts drift to Fury and tried to swallow her anger, "I hated what they made me do." She spat.

Steve titled his head and crossed his arms, "You were serving your country."

"This is not my country!" Ruzanna circled around to face him, not noticing the metal coating traveling further up her arm. "Shield took me away and made me serve this country!" The energy wave flared and everyone took a step back.

"Ruzanna!" Natasha cautioned. Ruzanna bit her lip and glowered as Steve shifted uncomfortably.

"Then where are you from?" Bruce dared to ask, "Why'd they take you… weren't your parents around?"

"That's not important right now." Maria cut in with a pointed look. "You all got your answers, so how about we try finding something that'll actually help with the Ultron situation."

"It's no use, all our work is gone," Bruce said, "Ultron cleaned us out. Used the internet as an escape."

"He's in files, surveillance, he probably knows more about us than what we know about each other." Natasha added.

"What if he decides to access something more exciting…" Clint hinted.

"Nuclear codes," Maria breathed, "I need to make some calls."

"He said he wanted us dead." Natasha said.

"He didn't say dead." Bruce corrected, "He said extinct."

"He also said he killed somebody." Steve reminded them.

Ruzanna let out an involuntary shudder, "There wasn't anyone else in the building." She looked around to see everyone nod in agreement.

"Yes there was." Tony mumbled. From his remote, an orange mess was projected onto the floor monitor. Jarvis was destroyed.

Bruce walked forward, gaping at the sight. His hands hovered at his sides trying to make sense of it all, "This is insane…"

"It makes sense," Ruzanna shrugged, eyeing Tony's stony stare, "He was the first line of defense."

"No, Ultron could have assimilated Jarvis." Bruce shook his head, unable to look away, "This is rage."

With the sound of a wind blowing, Thor swooped in straight for Tony. He let out a cry of shock as he was lifted and slammed against the wall.

"Put him down!" Ruzanna cried and debated laying a hand on him.

Tony managed to gurgle out a sentence, "Use your words buddy."

"Oh I have more than enough words to describe you Stark."

"Thor." Steve commanded sharply. After moments of tense silence, Tony fell to the floor and rubbed his bruising throat.

"I don't understand, you built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?" Dr. Cho asked. Tony glanced at her and turned to a computer screen.

A low chuckle escaped from Tony and it only grew in volume. Bruce shook his head, wide-eyed, pleading with him to shut up. Ruzanna's frown deepened as Tony continued to chuckle and fiddle with his instruments.

"You think this is funny?" Thor's fingers twitched, almost feeling them at his throat again, "If you hadn't played with something you don't understand! Now the scepter is gone and we have to retrieve it. Again."

"No I'm sorry, it's funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this." Tony squared his shoulders and edged closer to Thor.

"Tony maybe this might not be the time…" Bruce hinted in a hushed tone.

"Really? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls?" Tony accused.

"Only when I've created a murder bot." Bruce breathed. He flashed a look that screamed 'I told you so' and the two scientists battled a staring contest.

Tony spun around to look at the group, "Anyone remember when I carried a nuclear warhead?"

"Nope-" Natasha muttered in the background.

"Saving New York? Recall that?"

"-No you never mention it."

"We're standing three feet below a hole in space!" Tony spit. He pointed out the window and everyone looked back in silence. "And a hostile alien army came charging through it. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day, but that… How were you guys planning on beating that?"

"Together." Steve answered in a sure voice.

Tony threw a skeptical frown, "We'll lose."

"Then we'll do that together too." Steve turned to everyone else leaving Tony to shake his head, "Ultron's calling us out and I'd like to find him before he's ready for us." He ordered.

"The world's a big place," Natasha shrugged in agreement, "lets start making it smaller.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! I'll try to get the next chapter up and running as soon as possible, so stay tuned because in the next chapter Ruzanna comes face to face with some old friends...


	5. Chapter 5: A Familiar Face

It was the morning after Ultron attacked Avengers Tower and no one had a wink of sleep. Ruzanna looked around at all the drooping heads and decided it was good time for coffee. In her case, it was always a good time for coffee.

The coffee pot gurgled and a steady stream of caffeinated brown liquid filled it. Ruzanna leaned against the counter waiting for it to finish. It had been a long night and barely anyone was spoking to each other. What Tony did was stupid, but she couldn't help but feel a tug at her heartstring. He was just too self absorbed in a way that he felt he knew what was best for everyone.

"That man child cares so much it blinds him…" She muttered as the coffee pot buzzed. Locks of curly hair fell out of her pitiful bun and she yanked it down in one tug. Ruzanna sighed as it exploded into an antigravity mess before settling into a more tolerable style.

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss," She heard Natasha say as she entered the lab.

"Yeah but everything we have on Strucker is missing or deleted." Bruce countered. He saw the fresh pot of coffee in Ruzanna's hand and a look of pure joy spread across his face. Everyone expressed their thanks and descended on the coffee like a pack of animals.

Ruzanna smirked, "Not everything is gone. We still have paper files in the corner file room." She jerked her head to back of the lab.

Everyone sifted through the mounds of files. Ruzanna coughed as the dust lifted from the neglected boxes. Steve shook his head, looking from file to file, "These people are all horrible."

"Hey, wait, I know that guy. He was off the African coast black marketing arms…" Tony said, motioning for the file in Ruzanna's hand, trailed off at the pointed look coming from Steve. "There are conventions, you know, to meet people – I didn't sell him anything. He had talked about finding something new…"

"This, what is this brand?" Thor pointed to a photo showing burned mark on his neck.

Bruce turned to the computer, typing away. Ruzanna stepped closer to look at the screen as well. "It's a ward in an African dialect." He said.

"It means thief in a not so friendly way." Ruzanna added.

"What dialect?" Steve asked.

"Wa-wuki uh-" Ruzanna leaned closer and squinted, "Wakanda." She turned to see Tony and Steve sharing a look of worry, "Why, what's wrong?"

"What comes out of Wakanda?" Bruce asked.

"The strongest metal on earth," Tony said, looking at Steve's shield, "Vibranium."

"Well shit." Ruzanna muttered.

* * *

The neckline of Ruzanna's shirt rubbed tightly against her throat. She felt it every time she swallowed and no amount of tugging would keep it down. It had been years since wearing her mission gear and Ruzanna was surprised that Natasha had actually kept it around.

She watched from her spot in the corner as Natasha talked with Steve while Tony flew the quinjet. It was no secret she wasn't happy about joining the mission, but considering the situation it was necessary.

"We got two hours people!" Tony announced from the cockpit. Ruzanna squeezed her eyes shut and breathed deeply, trying to slow down her heart rate. The air shifted next to her and she opened her eyes to see Clint and Natasha sitting with her.

"I can't believe you're still sticking with that uniform," Natasha teased, eyeing Ruzanna's choice of cargo pants and a fitted sleeveless top. Ruzanna returned the favor and eyed the tight jumpsuit the assassin often wore.

Ruzanna roller her eyes and tugged down her collar again. "At least I don't feel like a human condom. I like feeling a little breezy."

"Hey I'm not the one who's gonna get her clothes snagged on stuff-"

"Ladies, can we stop the uniform competition," Clint sighed, "You're both practical."

"What ever you say Clint," Natasha made a face causing Ruzanna to stifle a laugh, "Anyways, once we get to the shipyard, we're going to come in through the back." She pulled out a tablet displaying the schematics of the ship.

"So we're in stealth mode," Ruzanna commented while observing the highlighted routes, "Just like old times." She sucked in her bottom lip. It had been a while since a real mission and Ruzanna was worried.

"How are you holding up?" Natasha asked, noticing her stiff silence. Ruzanna gave a noncommittal shrug.

"I've been better…" She mumbled.

"Cheer up kid, it'll be smooth sailing," Clint smiled, "Like riding a bike."

"You ready to roll out?" Natasha asked, walking up beside Ruzanna as she crouched to inspect her boots. The jet had just landed and was hidden by a small jungle sitting at the edge of the shipyard.

"Yeah, just about," Ruzanna said and finished off a double knot, "So it's just you, me, and Clint?"

Natasha nodded, locking in her gaunlets, "Clint! We're up."

Once in the ship, Natasha signaled for them to split up. Ruzanna crept up through the rafters. It was dark and she had to inch forward to not bump anything. Muffled voices rose up from somewhere under her. Ruzanna paused and strained her ear to listen.

A loud crash made Ruzanna jump and her metal coating sprouted up in response. Below, a man had been thrown down the stairs and out came Ultron stomping indignantly.

"Don't compare me with Stark!" His hollow voice reverberated off the walls. Ruzanna stepped up and perched on the railing, leaning over slightly to watch him. "He's a sickness!"

"Aww, junior, you're going to break your old man's heart…"

Ruzanna's neck snapped up at the sound of Tony's voice. He was blocking the pathway of the bridge with Thor and Steve behind him. Ultron loomed forward and two others stepped up behind the robot. She could only see the tops of their heads but Ruzanna assumed they had to be the twins.

"If I have to." Ultron said.

Thor stepped forward, "We don't have to break anything."

"Clearly you've never made an omlett," Ultron countered.

"Beat me by one second," Tony said, nodding back to Thor. Ruzanna rolled her eyes. Leave it to Tony to wisecrack at all the wrong times.

Ruzanna watched as one of the twins stepped forward, the brother, or as Clint so affectionately says, that speedy punk bastard. "Ah this is funny, Mr. Stark," His thick Sokovian accent rolled, "this is, what? Comfortable? Like old times?" He nodded his head towards the missile weapons lining the floor.

"This was never my life…" Tony muttered. The STARK logo was a burning reminder of darker times for the company.

Ruzanna glanced back at the twins. She hadn't been told much except that Strucker used the scepter to give them abilities. Ruzanna felt sorry for them. Knowing they were raised in Sokovia ignited some sympathy. It wasn't an easy country to live in, but still, they chose their path. They had made their choices.

"You two can still walk away from this." She heard Steve say.

"Oh we will," The other twin sneered.

"I know you suffered," Steve continued to plead. The look on his face was clouded and Ruzanna knew why. They were her age. Ruzanna hated being treated like the youngest person in the room, but they were all just kids really.

"Oh Captain America, God's righteous man," Ultron goaded, "Pretending you could live without war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth-"

"If you believe in peace, let us keep it." Thor interrupted.

Ultron shook his head and chuckled, "I think you're confusing peace with quiet."

"Uh-huh, what's the vibranium for?" Tony continued, cutting off his childish rant and Ruzanna refocused her attention. She sensed the tensions thicken. Her hands gripped the railing ready to spring down.

"I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan…" Ultron chided. Ruzanna's heart stopped as Tony flew over the railing from Ultron's blast.

A few robots seemed to appear out of nowhere and attacked Thor and Steve. Ruzanna stood frozen as the speedster rushed Thor while the other threw some blast of red energy. Men burst out from the sidelines with guns in hand, bullets bouncing of the steel walls of the ship.

"Hey, kid!" Ruzanna snapped her head to see Clint motioning towards the growing chaos. He had his back to her trying to shoot the enemy and yelled, "You gonna stand there like a metal statue or what?"

 _Right. Breathe Ruzy…_

Ruzanna dropped down from the railing with a heavy thud. The robots that had been battling the others now turned their attention to her. She crouched down and rammed her fist up into the head of the first one to reach her. Spinning around, she roundhouse kicked the other over the bridge.

It landed with a hefty crunch and a blue streak zoomed by sucking all the air from Ruzanna's lungs. "What the fuck!" She gasped, clinging to the wall to steady her breathing. The streak continued to zig-zag down the ship towards Steve.

Ruzanna raced after the lingering tail of light and dodged as many obstacles as possible. She willed her legs to pump faster but there was no catching up to the speedy twin.

The blue streak rushed past Steve and Ruzanna watched helplessly as his head flew back. He crumpled to the floor and she slid across the floor under men leaping with guns. "Hey, Cap?" He was knocked out cold despite her slapping. Fingers fumbled to find a pulse and relief washed over he once she felt a steady beat.

Wind rushed and her thick braid slapped her across the face like a whip. Ruzanna went flying through the air. When she blinked her eyes open and was sprawled flat on the cold metal floor far away from Steve.

"Shit." She had been careless and forgot to stay observant of what was around her. A slow throb built up in her shoulder from where the blonde twin had hit her. Gritting her teeth, Ruzanna popped upright. Before her feet could fully land on the ground, another burst of wind streaked by.

A sharp pain ripped through her gut as the speedster managed to land a punch. Ruzanna summersaulted in the air, banging through piles of cargo. The metal coating receded as Ruzanna felt her energy drain. Another blow landed on her shoulder and shattered what little covering she had left

"Alright, that's it…" Ruzanna growled. She'd had enough of these tag-and-go attacks. She laid flat on the ground, and once it was quiet she rolled away behind some boxes. Ruzanna wiped her hands down her face with a sharp breath, slowly recovering enough to pull off one trick.

The metal slithered back up her arms and Ruzanna concentrated all the energy she could into her fists. With one hand on the floor, she listened for the familiar piercing sound of rushing wind. Sure enough a blue streak rounded the corner, but this time she was ready.

"Come on punk…" Ruzanna baited quietly.

The second he ran by her fist slammed into the ground and the force of the energy ruptured the metal floor. Silver energy webbed across the ground too fast for him to avoid. It reached up, tangling with his feet, and he crashed into a stack of boxes.

Ruzanna breathed a laugh at her successful trap, "Thought you could get away, didn't you," She mocked and walked forward, stumbling as her ankles wobbled to the side. The tingling energy at her fingertips faded and the silver light on the floor died out.

The speedster twitched from his spot in the mess of boxes. He shook his head and grasped the nearest wall to remain steady as he stood up. Ruzanna took a challenging step forward with her metal fist raised at the ready, "Thought you could just throw me down and not face consequ-" Words caught at the back of her throat as he reached full height and faced her. He glared at her with electric blue eyes and Ruzanna dropped her arms now feeling like they weighed a ton.

Ruzanna tried to speak but nothing happened. No matter how many times she opened her mouth, words couldn't form. He stepped forward and his arm instinctively clutched his bruising sides. The closer he got, the more a panic rose in her throat.

He was supposed to be dead. No one else had survived the collapse of the building. Ruzanna's heart sank realizing he was the enemy. He had shot Clint. He was working with Ultron. He had attacked her.

"P-Pie – Pietro?" Ruzanna managed to stutter and he froze his advances toward her. Something flashed across his face, but he scowled as she neared him, "Wh-what are you doing? What are you doing here?" Volume rose with each word she spoke and Pietro continued to look down at her confused. "Why are you with Ultron!"

"Who are you? I don't know you." He accused in his thick accent. Ruzanna breathed in sharply at a loss for words.

"Pietro, it's me!" She urged with pleading eyes. The metal shrank back and Ruzanna reach out to touch his cheek. Pietro shrank away as if her touch was acid, "Please, you know me. Wait – that girl – she must be Wanda… Wanda!" Ruzanna called, hoping she would remember her and convince Pietro. "Wanda-"

A hand clamped over her mouth and Pietro squeezed her arm with his free hand to keep her in place. His face was red and Ruzanna froze at the hatred in his eyes, "Who are you?" He shouted, spit spraying her face, "How do you know my sister and I? I don't associate with Avengers!"

Ruzanna freed her mouth but couldn't wiggle out of his grip on her arm. Tears stung the back of her eyes as he spoke with such venom in his voice. Pietro tightened his grip when she remained silent and she let out a small whimper, "Answer me!"

"It's me, Ruzy…" She whispered.

Pietro locked eyes with her as the color drained from his face. Ruzanna tried to look away from the pain swimming around his eyes as he scrutinized her. She tried to smile but it came out looking strangled, "Don't you remember me?" Ruzanna asked.

She heard his breath catch. He dropped her arm and backed away. He could not process what she was saying. It had been sixteen years since missiles hit their apartment, but the warmth he felt from her gaze spread over him like a blanket.

Ruzanna watched as his eyebrows knitted together, her heart pounding with each second of deafening silence that overcame battle continuing around them. For a moment, she saw the corners of his mouth twitch up but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"No, no, no… Ruzy died a long time ago," Pietro said at last, "How dare you speak her name in front of me. You know nothing."

Ruzanna yelped as Pietro appeared inches away from her in lightning speed, grabbing her collar and lifted her in the air, yelling, "Who are you and how do you know about Ruzanna?" His eyes focused behind her while her toes barely scraped the floor. "Wanda now!" He urged.

"Wanda…?" Ruzanna turned her head and a flash of red filled her vision. Still blind, she felt the cold floor beneath her once again. "Ow my head," She moaned, clutching her hands to her throbbing temples.

The red light ebbed away, but she wasn't in the ship anymore. It was her old home in Sokovia. Ruzanna stood up and looked around. It was smaller than she remembered.

"Ruzy, my sweet…" A voice whispered behind her. Ruzanna turned and saw her parents smiling.

"Mama!" Ruzanna crashed into them, wrapping her arms around them tightly, "Papa! I've missed you!" She cried and her vision blurred from the tears running down her face. "Where have you been?"

There was no answer. Ruzanna had her face buried in their arms when she felt something trickle down. Something thick and warm. She looked up and screamed at the bloody, blank stares of her parents looking down at her. They fell to the floor and Ruzanna clamped her hands to her mouth as she continued to scream.

They laid bloody and broken. Arms bent at wrong angles and gashes littering their bodies. Ruzanna shook her head, wringing her hands together, and backed away until she felt the wall at her back. She shut her eyes and wished away the madness before her. And each time she opened them, it was still there.

"Ruzy…" She looked up and saw her mother sitting upright. Her faraway stare piercing her heart. "Why did you leave us? Why didn't you help us?"

"Mama I couldn't!" Ruzanna sobbed, "You told me to hide!"

"Why did you leave us…" Her mother repeated. A large hole appeared in the middle of the living room and it continued to grow until the edge reached Ruzanna. "Why didn't you help us…"

"Mama!" Ruzanna yelled as the ground beneath her disappeared and she fell into the darkness.

"Mama!" She bolted upright and looked around frantically. Her breathing was labored and she didn't recognize where she was. A heavy hand held her down as she tried to stand and it only made her fight harder.

"Hey, hey, you're safe," Tony soothed and Ruzanna realized she was in the quinjet. In the corner Bruce was wrapped in a blanket while the others stood drenched in sweat with thousand yard stares. "You're okay."

"What happened?" Ruzanna gasped and wiped the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "What's wrong with me, I feel sick," she gushed.

"That witchy twin did some voodoo magic…" Tony trailed off and frowned realizing Ruzanna hadn't stopped shaking, "You'll be fine. They got away but Clint's taking us to a safe house."

Ruzanna's lip trembled as she was pulled into a comforting hug. Her shaky hands clenched at his shirt and she whimpered into his chest. Tony squeezed tightly as sobs racked her body uncontrollably. "It's all my fault!" She cried.

"No it isn't," Tony said, remembering his own encounter with his nightmare vision, "It feels real, but…" He couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't say it wasn't real because to him, his own nightmare felt like a glimpse into the future. "Just let it out."

The sounds of her weeping filled the jet and shook the rest of the Avengers out of their own petrified state. Natasha went to take over but Tony shook his head and mouthed that he was fine. Ruzanna felt the overwhelming panic die down in her throat and the gentle beat of Tony's heart served as a soothing metronome.

She pushed away the nightmare but Ruzanna realized that it was not the end. Her friends. Wanda. Pietro. They were the enemy and no one knew what they were to her, not even Natasha. Ruzanna would have to fight them and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure if she could.

Ruzanna closed her eyes and buried herself deeper into Tony's embrace, hoping when she woke up that things would be better.

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Author's Note: So I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! It was actually a moment I thought of that made me want to write this story, so I hope you all enjoyed it. Read and review, I really appreciate all the comments so far!


	6. Chapter 6: A Conflict of Interest

Anger. That was all Pietro could feel under the ache in his heart. He lifted her from the ground by her collar and yelled at the lying Avenger, "Who are you and how do you know Ruzanna?" For a split second he saw his childhood friend but he couldn't believe that it could be her. A silhouette moved behind her and he realized Wanda was ready to tamper her mind. "Wanda now!"

Wanda came up behind the girl and twirled her hands by her face. A wispy red light seemed in and she stopped struggling out of Pietro's grip. She went limp, but Wanda yelped and clutched her head. Pietro dropped the girl and rushed over to his sister.

"Wanda!" He yelled in alarm when Wanda crumpled to her knees. Pietro kneeled and cupped her face in his hands, "Wanda what's wrong?"

Tears poured down her face. Pietro tried to look her in the eye, but her gaze was fixed on the unconscious Avenger, "I can't take this pain…" Wanda whimpered, "I can't believe I did this… to her!"

"Hey, she's an Avenger," Pietro soothed and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears, "This is our mission, remember?"

"No, Pietro you don't understand!" Wanda finally looked him in the eye and that was all it took for him to understand. He knew what she was going to say. She pulled away from his grip and cradled the girl in her arms, "Ruzy I'm so sorry!"

Pietro stared wide-eyed as his sister comforted the enemy. The knot in his stomach grew and his hands went numb, "She was telling the truth…"

"Why is she working with them?" Wanda asked, looking at her brother with a tear stained face, "Why were we told she was dead?"

The sound of gunfire drew closer and Pietro knew they had to finish their task before it was too late, "Wanda, we have to go!" He tugged at her arm.

Wanda yanked away from her brother, "No, she's our friend! We can't leave her!"

"She's an Avenger!" He argued. Pietro bit his lip to stop it from trembling and forced himself to look away from Ruzanna, "Who's to say she's even the same anymore?" He added, trying to find any reason to see her as anything but the girl who always talked about Romania.

"It's her!" Wanda insisted, brushing away the loose hairs from Ruzanna's face with a delicate hand like a mother would.

"What do you suggest?" Pietro grew anxious. Their time was limited and they couldn't afford to waste it here, "Take her with us? The Avengers will come looking for her and it will ruin the plan! Do you want to risk our chance for justice?"

Wanda bit her lip. Fresh tears filled her eyes but eventually she placed Ruzanna back on the floor. "I'm sorry…" She whispered and turned to Pietro with a new fire burning in her eyes. "They must have done something to her! Stark… the Avengers-"

"And they will pay", Pietro insisted, "but right now the best thing that we can do for her is to take them down. It will all be better then." He gave a reassuring smile and he was relieved when Wanda nodded.

"You're right," She said, "we have a mission to finish."

Wanda left to search for any Avengers she'd missed, leaving Pietro alone with Ruzanna still on the ground. A large group of the arms dealer's men were charging towards when and without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and sprinted to a safer area. Her head was rested in the crook of his neck and Pietro smiled as her soft breath tickled his skin.

Her head lolled back and he was careful to lay her against the wall. Dark bruises were already forming on the shoulder Pietro had hit and his stomach knotted at the image of her flying through the air. "We'll make it up to you Ruzy," Pietro whispered and held her hand. He smiled, giving it a small squeeze, and Ruzanna started to stir. Instant panic washed over him. Pietro ran off at inhuman speed, searching for Wanda.

All he could hope for was that Ruzanna was still the same girl he and his sister knew all those years ago. He dreaded what the inevitable would be it she wasn't. Judging by what juts happened, Pietro knew Wanda would not be able to hurt Ruzanna, and the air became trapped in his throat when he realized that maybe he couldn't either.

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Author's Note: Sorry it's such a small chapter, I just wanted to give you guys the twins' perspective of seeing Ruzanna for the first time in nearly a decade! Hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll try getting the next chapter out as soon as I can.


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